


The Gray Area

by xx_toughcookie



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Cross-Posted on AFF, F/M, i have nothing to say
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-06 15:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8758882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx_toughcookie/pseuds/xx_toughcookie
Summary: In real life, there are no good guys nor bad guys, only people, people who make choices, and those choices have the ability to change their lives in the best and worst way possible. The line between good and bad was never as blurred in the past as it is now. And that space smack dab in between good and bad, is the gray area.





	1. Foreward

Jeongguk doesn’t quite know why he’s here, in Stacy’s Diner, with Kim Yerim staring him down with her infamous paralyzing gaze as he tries not to sweat. He blinks. She has her head propped up on her palm as she thrums her fingers on the table in faux nonchalance. Her professionally dyed blond hair cascades over her bare shoulders as if every strand was expertly placed.

 

“Your answer, please. I have cheer practice.” She’s impatient, always has been. 

 

“Why me? We don’t even know each other, much less have something in common,” Jeongguk breathes in deep through his nose and sips his drink, aiming to be as calm as Yerim. She notices, yes, Yerim notices everything. 

 

“Oh,” Yerim leans forward on her forearms, a sly smile playing at her lips, “But we do.” Jeongguk raises an eyebrow in question. 

 

“I despise him and I know you hate him more than anyone else, so let’s ruin him. Haven’t you heard the saying?” Yerim taps her chin as if she can’t remember, but she does, because Yerim never forgets. “Your enemy’s enemy is your friend?” 

 

“Okay. I wanna see him self destruct,” at that point in time, Jeongguk couldn’t see a reason to tell her no. A beautiful girl wants him to help her ruin the life of the one person he really, truly hates. Why not? 

 

Yerim smiles brightly as she rises. Jeongguk never thought he would be on the receiving end of such a smile. “And his fate is sealed. It will surely be a pleasure to work with you, Jeon Jeongguk.”

 

Her blond hair swings like a cape behind her as she flounces out of the diner and Jeongguk is completely captivated. Oh, if only he knew.


	2. Step 1: Recruit a PArtner

Jeongguk just comes here to settle down. And it works, for the most part. Sometimes he just needs a break, when the classroom seems just a little too small and everyone seems just a little too close. It’s easier to breathe out here, where the air is clean, not stuffy. And he can see the autumn breeze rustle the trees that seem to stretch higher and higher towards the sky every year. He’s going to miss this place.

Jeongguk leans his body on the railing and looks out over the courtyard. It's really beautiful this time of year.

“Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?” Jeongguk turns around to see fairly short girl with long blond hair leaning against the door, an amused smile on her features.

    “Aren’t you?” Jeongguk didn’t know how he felt about someone else being up here with him. I didn’t quite feel right.

    “Probably,” she laughed then, melodic and loud, the sound carrying in the wind.

    “Why are you up here?” he genuinely wanted to know.

    “Why are you?” She asked, it was almost as if she was mocking him.

    “I asked first.”

    “I saw you come up here and I was curious,” she looked away from him and over the courtyard, eyes squinted toward the horizon as if looking for something.

    “So you’re the nosy type,” Jeongguk said, a question that came out like a statement.

    “I guess you could say that,” she laughs again and Jeongguk doesn’t know why. He didn’t think he said anything amusing. She pushes away from the railing with a quiet sigh. A half cheerful smile graces her face as she bids him goodbye. Only after she is long gone does Jeongguk notice that she was only half wearing her shoes, he found that amusing.

    “You weren’t in English class today,” Yugyeom says when Jeongguk sits down next to him at the lunch table.

    Jeongguk ignores his statement and focuses on drowning his canned coffee. Without it, he’d never be able to focus.

    “Hey look, it’s your boyfriend,” Yugyeom smiles amusedly when Jeongguk glowers darkly at him. Jung Yunho saunters into the cafeteria as if he walked on the hands of angels and owned the heart of every glossy eyed maiden. Well he did, but that was besides the point. He was surrounded by people who were genuinely in love with him, boys and girls alike and Jeongguk hated him. Everyone knew he did, it was common knowledge.

    Jeongguk hated him so much that people began to think that all his hate was pent up sexual frustration and began to ship them. And that was … shocking, to say the least. He even saw an anonymously written fanfiction published in the school paper, but he had a feeling he knew who wrote it. He could feel the eyes turn to him, awaiting a reaction. Well they could wait all they wanted, because he wouldn’t give them one.

    Jeongguk is done with lunch for the day and makes his way towards the trash can, tossing his empty coffee can and exiting without a second glance. Those people obviously didn’t know what the real Yunho was like.

    Jeongguk walked in to choir practice and sat by the piano like he did everyday. The students began to slowly file in, their afternoon chatter filling the room. Their temporary vocal instructor Seungwan (a sub for Taeyeon while she was on maternity leave) entered the room at the same time as she did everyday, her radiant smile greeting them warmly. Today, though, something was different and Jeongguk could feel his muscles tense in apprehension.

    “Alright everyone, I’d like to introduce you to someone I have known for a very long time. After months of begging, he’s finally agreed to join us,” Jeongguk sees someone enter the room and it feels like his entire world is going up in flames. No, no, no, not here, anywhere but here.

    “Hi everyone my name in Jung Yunho. Let’s work well together,” as he smiles his pearly whites beam bright and Jeongguk can see even Wendy coo. Abort, abort, abort. Jeongguk can feel eyes on him as he struggles to breathe properly.

    A quiet rapping on the door takes the attention off of Jeongguk and a pretty blonde head pops into the door. “Hi, sorry to interrupt… “ she looks around the room, “whatever it is you guys are doing in here, but could I borrow him for a moment?” She points to the Jeongguk statue by the piano. Jeongguk doesn’t know this girl, or what she wants, but bless her.

    “Be quick, please,” Seungwan says, but Jeongguk had a feeling his presence wouldn’t be missed. He rose stiffly and walked towards the door. He heard a girl whisper, “Ooh, does Yunho have some competition for Jeongguk’s heart?” Jeongguk whipped around and frowned in her direction, before continuing on his way.

    “What do you want?” Jeongguk couldn’t bother being cordial when fate was handing him everything he didn’t deserve.

    The girl rose her hands up on mock surrender, “Why all the hostility? I come in peace.” She sticks out her hand, “My name’s Kim Yerim.” Jeongguk reciprocates the gesture.

    Jeongguk sighs, “Okay then, what did you need me for?”

    She smiled in a way that Jeongguk would consider mysterious, “I have a proposal.”

    Jeongguk decides to get this out of the way before she got any further, “No, I will not confess to Yunho, no matter how much money you give me.”

    The girl laughs amusedly, shaking her long locks everywhere. “No, nothing like that. Come, walk and talk with me.”

    “Help me destroy Jung Yunho,” the words ring in Jeongguk’s ears like a chant and he doesn’t know what to do with them. Jeongguk also doesn’t quite know why he’s here, in Stacy’s Diner, with Kim Yerim staring him down with her infamous paralyzing gaze as he tries not to sweat. He blinks. She has her head propped up on her palm as she thrums her fingers on the table in faux nonchalance. Her professionally dyed blond hair cascades over her bare shoulders as if every strand was expertly placed.

 

 

“Your answer, please. I have cheer practice.” She’s impatient, always has been.

 

 

“Why me? We don’t even know each other, much less have something in common,” Jeongguk breathes in deep through his nose and sips his drink, aiming to be as calm as Yerim. She notices, yes, Yerim notices everything.

 

 

“Oh,” Yerim leans forward on her forearms, a sly smile playing at her lips, “But we do.” Jeongguk raises an eyebrow in question.

 

 

“I despise him and I know you hate him more than anyone else, so let’s ruin him. Haven’t you heard the saying?” Yerim taps her chin as if she can’t remember, but she does, because Yerim never forgets. “Your enemy’s enemy is your friend?”

 

 

“Okay. I wanna see him self destruct,” at that point in time, Jeongguk couldn’t see a reason to tell her no. A beautiful girl wants him to help her ruin the life of the one person he really, truly hates. Why not?

 

 

Yerim smiles brightly as she rises. Jeongguk never thought he would be on the receiving end of such a smile. “And his fate is sealed. It will surely be a pleasure to work with you, Jeon Jeongguk.”

 

 

Her blond hair swings like a cape behind her as she flounces out of the diner and Jeongguk is completely captivated. Oh, if only he knew.

 

__

 

 


	3. Step 2: Get to Know Your Target Pt. 1

    Contact from Yerim comes as a slip of paper in his locker. It’s simply a small piece of pale pink paper with swirly cursive letters reading, _Meet me at lunch_. It doesn’t state a location, but Jeongguk already has a pretty good idea.

    “Is that a love note?” Yugyeom asks, reading over his shoulder. “Can I guess who it’s from?” Jeongguk quickly stuffs the note into his jacket pocket and shuts his locker.

    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jeongguk dismisses him and makes his way toward class. Yugyeom rolls his eyes and walks in the other direction, actively trying to figure out what his best friend could possibly be hiding and why he would feel he had to.  

    When Jeongguk arrived, she was already there, shoes half on and jacket hanging loosely on her shoulders. “Are you free after school today?” She turns around and greets him with a smile, Jeongguk assumes it’s a common thing for her. He, on the other hand, cannot quite relate.

    Jeongguk answers with a shrug, “I guess.” She claps her hands gleefully, her smile growing wider. “Why do you need to know?” He doesn’t know why he asked, he already knows that she’s going to ask a favor of him.

    “The next step in our master plan, of course,” she began to walk towards the exit, “I don’t want to release any details in such circumstances,” she gestures at the area around her as if she was a spy on some type of top secret mission. Jeongguk was beginning to view her as quite the over the top character.

    “Meet me at the diner after school then.” Jeongguk suggests. She points to him with a finger hand gun, “Good idea, we shouldn’t let anyone even know we know each other.”

    Yerim frowned when Jeongguk snorted at her statement, “I think it’s a bit too late for that. I mean, you did pull me out of choir yesterday.”

    She seems to consider this for a moment, “Besides the point. After school, at the diner,” the girl sticks out her pinkie in a childish and Jeongguk suddenly feels much, much older. She pushes her pinkie in his face when he doesn’t make any movement to reciprocate the gesture.

    “You have to swear on it.” Her eyebrows are furrowed on her face in determination. Jeongguk just couldn't understand this girl, “Why?”

    “Just do it!” Jeongguk decides it isn’t worth the struggle and seals the agreement with a pinkie promise. Oddly, her smile once again returns to her face and she leaves him standing on the roof with the wind at his neck and his mind utterly confused. It’s at times like this that he questions his decision making abilities. He has absolutely no idea what he’s getting himself into.

    Yugyeom gives him an odd look when he sits next to him with his usual can of coffee. At that moment, Jeongguk almost felt like he needed two. “Where have you been off to?” His friend inquires, his mouth full with bread.

    “I had to stay back and chat with a teacher,” Jeongguk takes a much needed swing of coffee before taking a mouthful of Yugyeom’s bread, much to his dismay. He laughs when his head is forcefully pushed away and Yugyeom frowns.

    “Are you failing classes again? You need to start going to class.”

    Jeongguk rolls his eyes, “I hate school. I only come for choir.”

    “Yes, yes, of course,” Yugyeom says with overdone theatrics, “The great Jeon Jeongguk, blessed with the voice of an angel.” Jeongguk responds by flicking the younger on the forehead.

“I hate you.” Yugyeom receives a half-hearted glare that he smiles in response to. It’s not much long after that the bell rings and lunch is over. Jeongguk makes his way to his next class, as per Yugyeom’s instruction, a certain piece of paper burning in his pocket.

Once again Yerim has arrived before he did, leaning against the wall of the diner, tapping furiously against her phone. She greets him without even looking up.

“From one of my many sources, I’ve found that Yunho will be hitting the town after getting dinner at Sally’s,” she slips her phone into her pocket, her face unintentionally void of all emotions.

“I guessing that’s why we’re here,” Yerim nods in confirmation, “What are we supposed to be doing? Tailing him?”

Yerim shoots another one of her finger guns at him, “Precisely.”

Like every time he is around this girl, Jeongguk isn’t following her line of reasoning. “But why? What would be the point of that?”

“So that we can find out if he is involved in any shady business. Prostitution? Perhaps gambling?” She taps her chin as if in deep thought.

“I think you’re being a little too hopeful,” Jeongguk gives her a look that implies exactly what he thinks of her ideas.

Yerim looks at her watch, “Yunho should have left the school 5 minutes ago, we need to get inside.” She lead the older boy the the furthermost booth in the diner, in a dimly lit corner.

”I can’t help but feel like we’re doing something shady,” Jeongguk says, turning in the opposite direction of the door. Yerim shushes him quietly as she pulls a camera from her bag. She _can’t_ be serious. “Really? Are you really doing this?”

“We need proof,” she says in a low voice as if Yunho and his posse would be able to hear them from 5 tables away. Jeongguk can’t help but roll his eyes and stare out the window. Surely he can’t hate Yunho this much as to subject himself to this type of treatment, can he?

It feels like years before the group of rowdy boys is done eating and exit the diner. Yerim was eyeing them with rapt attention, while Jeongguk had fallen asleep. He rises only when she jostles him awake, sleep still present on his face. “Come on, let’s go,” she’s still whispering even though Yunho and his friends have left.

They creep around to Jeongguk’s car and lie in wait until the car finally pulls off. Jeongguk follows suit, slowly pulling away from the diner so as to not look suspicious. He looks over to see Yerim jittering in her seat. He curiously asks her what the matter is.

“This is just so thrilling. I can’t wait to get some incriminating photos.” There’s something not right about her, seriously not right. “Okay… sure.”

The car soon parks along the street leading into the shopping district. Jeongguk makes sure to park a ways away, again, in order to keep from being suspicious. Yerim barely waits until he’s shut the car off before she jumps out of the car, camera in hand and ready to ruin some lives.

“Wait,” Jeongguk says, “We’re wearing our school uniforms. It’s too obvious.” He pulls one of his sweatshirts out of the trunk and tosses it at the girl. She pulls it over her head, the hem reaching just above her knees. She looks swallowed by the piece of clothing.

“I look like a hobo,” she punctuates her complaint with a pout. Jeongguk laughs as he pulls the hood over her head. She looks … cute.

Jeongguk strips himself of his school jacket and shirt, tossing it into his trunk. Yerim watches in complete shock as Jeongguk pulls a black t-shirt onto his bare frame. She shakes her head frantically as if to force the thoughts back into her head. Jeongguk pulls a baseball cap over his head and shuts his trunk, fully prepared to waste his entire afternoon with this girl.

The group of boys enter a basic clothing store, nothing particularly interesting to see. After she snaps a few pictures, the reason he really doesn’t know, Jeongguk convinces Yerim that they should stay outside of the store instead of creeping around inside.

Without warning, the group suddenly exits the store, the glass door hitting the wall. Making a split second decision, Jeongguk takes Yerim by the shoulders and spins them around so that his back is to them. He pulls her in closer and bows his head, Yerim can only stare up at him in shock.

She can feel her face heating up as she mindlessly stares up at the boy. She could feel his breath fanning over her face. Despite her what her facade implies, she has never been in a situation like this ever in her life. He was just so … close.

  
  


TO BE CONTINUED…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wow it really took me a long time to ge this up. I don't even know why. I came onto a momentary lack of passion. I'll try not to take this long for the next one. 
> 
>  
> 
> So, how do you like the Jungri dynamic? How about YugyeomxJeongguk? 


	4. Step 2: Get to Know Your Target Pt. 2

Recap

_ The group of boys enter a basic clothing store, nothing particularly interesting to see. After she snaps a few pictures, the reason he really doesn’t know, Jeongguk convinces Yerim that they should stay outside of the store instead of creeping around inside.  _

_ Without warning, the group suddenly exits the store, the glass door hitting the wall. Making a split second decision, Jeongguk takes Yerim by the shoulders and spins them around so that his back is to them. He pulls her in closer and bows his head, Yerim can only stare up at him in shock.  _

_ She can feel her face heating up as she mindlessly stares up at the boy. She could feel his breath fanning over her face. Despite her what her facade implies, she has never been in a situation like this ever in her life. He was just so … close. _

 

When the group makes their way into the next shop, Jeongguk pulls back and continues walking as he didn’t just step inside Yerim’s personal bubble and render it obsolete. She stood frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, her deep labored breaths being completely drowned out by the bustling world around her. Jeongguk turns around and gestures for her to follow, turning and walking in the same direction as Yunho and his friends. Yerim shakes free of the thoughts racing around her mind and follows suit. 

Yerim watches the group of high school scum enter a dimly lit arcade and she decides that she will not be trailing them inside, nor will she be waiting outside again for them to exit. She eyes the quaint coffee shop across the busy city street. “Let’s wait there,” Jeongguk follows her line of vision to the dingy looking establishment across the way. He decides that arguing with her would get them absolutely nowhere and follows her into the coffee shop. They sit down opposite each other, awkwardly staring at each other  in silence. It is then that they realize how truly little they know of each other.

Yerim attempts to break the ice, “So… siblings?” She immediately wishes she could take it back from the way the boy’s facial expression contorts into pained frown. 

“I’d prefer to not speak on the subject.”

Yerim nods enthusiastically, “Right, right okay. Um … Why do you hate Yunho… ?” Jeongguk gives her a stern shake of the head and Yerim swallows thickly. This is going to be harder than she thought. The decides to let the conversation dwindle and die, drumming her fingers on the tabletop. She prays for Yunho to exit quickly, but alas, it was not to be. 

 “What about you? Siblings?” Jeongguk asks her after what felt like hours of silence. 

Yerim, though, is as reluctant to disclose information as he was. There is a beat of silence before she answers, “I have an elder brother.”

“So you’re the only girl?” the boy asks, obviously trying to keep the conversation going. Yerim can’t help but smile ruefully, “In a way, I suppose.” Jeongguk cocks his head to the side in confusion, likely expecting her to elaborate. Yerim decides that she has no desire to. The time passes in that way, with one of them asking a question and the other answering before falling into silence again. 

Yunho and his friends don’t actually exit the arcade until the sun has set and the number of people walking up and down the busy street has dwindled to almost no one. The pair rise slowly, sore from having sat so long. Yunho bids farewell to his friends, but continues to walk down the sidewalk, nearing the shadier parts of the downtown district. Yerim and Jeongguk share a look before exiting the coffee shop and following their subject of scrutiny into the far more dimly lit area. 

Yerim holds her camera tight in her hands, following behind Jeongguk closely. She has never been in this part of the city before, but Jeongguk seems awfully familiar with the area. 

Yunho seems to walk for miles, the farther and farther they get, the shadier everything looks. If she wasn’t so adamant on getting photos of Yunho in a compromising situation, she would have turned back by now. She speeds up her walking pace when a greasy looking man in a flamboyant suit winks at her. 

Finally, Yunho enters a building, “A tattoo parlor?” This suddenly makes it all worth it. The pair decide it would be wise to not follow him inside, considering how tiny the establishment is. Instead, they creep along the outside, being hidden only by a car parked in front of the building. 

“I wonder where he’s getting it?” Jeongguk asks. Although sceptical about their activities at first, he was completely enjoying himself now. “Probably a basic bicep tattoo.”

They watch as the boy unbuttons his pants, Yerim gasps dramatically, “A penis tattoo? Ballsack?” Jeongguk is thoroughly judging her. Yunho slides both his school pants and underwear down his hips to reveal a beautiful tattoo beginning at his hipbone and creeping up his abdomen. The design was an interesting mix of vines, roses, angel wings, and the main attraction, a large and very detailed anchor. Okay, Yerim may not like the guy, but that tattoo was… something. Without knowing it, she raised her camera and snapped a photo, though to her mistake, she did not turn the flash off. 

Before Yunho and the tattoo artist had time to react, Jeongguk took Yerim’s hand and dragged her through an alley. They kept running for God knows what reason as there was no way they could have had time to chase them. “Do you not know how to turn your flash off? You almost got us caught! What were you thinking?” Jeongguk crossed arms as he berated her. 

“Shut up and take me home,” Yerim was not one to take scolding well and the fact that Jeongguk thought he had the right to rubbed her the wrong way. They made their way back to Jeongguk’s car in record time, the thick tension between them compelling their legs to move faster than usual. 

Yerim closed the car door with a hard slam and Jeongguk was not having it, “Get out.” She was such a child, he didn’t know why he was dealing with her.

“No.” The girl defiantly buckled her seatbelt and crossed her arms while purposely looking away from him and out the window. Jeongguk glares hard at her for a good minute before starting the car and driving off. He had half a mind to just drop her off at the side of the road. 

Oddly, neither could understand why they had reacted so crossly with the other, only that their pride would not allow them to apologize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and salutations! It's been a while. I hope you enjoyed the story. Since I'm not above self promo, please check out my BtsVelvet drabble dump. I already have 2 up and I will continue to add more. 


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